Rise of Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is the fastest growing customer acquisition method on the market right now and for good reason. In this technological age, we live in and social media playing the big role that it does, there are more and more people with a large online presence. Today, there are so many online influencers with huge, engaged followings and it’s about time we use them for the PR tool that they are.

Having an influencer back your brand is like having a celebrity endorsement. They are telling all of their faithful followers that they like and trust your company and so should they. Studies show that 80% of all business purchases were facilitated by word of mouth, like a friend-to-friend recommendation. Well, influencer marketing is like a friend-to-millions-of-friends recommendation. It’s large scale, but just as effective. The followers of these influencers are loyal. They read post after post, watch video after video and they feel like they know this person, so they're going to listen to them.

So how do you do it? First things first, you need to find the right influencer. They are a fast track to your audience. A sure fire way to get your message to who you want to get it to. So, you need to find an influencer with a similar message or demographic. Do some research and find an influencer whose audience matches the audience you want to reach. The influencer also needs to have similar values or a need for your product. They most likely won’t back your brand if they don’t agree with it or don’t think it would be good for their followers. They stand to put themselves on the line by backing a product or brand that doesn’t sit well with their followers.

After you’ve chosen and gotten started with an influencer, it can be easy to get swept up in micromanaging every detail, to ensure it goes well. However, you need to step back and let them do what they do, for a lot of influencers, this is their life, their job. They’re not going to want to follow your script, especially if it’s not true to who they are and what they stand for. Let them do their thing and they will find a genuine way to talk up you and your business.

Influencer marketing is on the rise and you should definitely take advantage of it. It’s the trendy thing to do right now, but at the same time, it can set you apart. There are tons of online personas to grab onto and new ones emerging daily. Each one is unique and can offer something equally unique to your business.